I’m toying with the idea of replacing my little car. I’ve had it for a number of years, and somehow or other it seems to be even smaller today than when I first got it. Or maybe it is that all the other vehicles out on the road are bigger.

One possibility is a pickup truck. I’ve always sort of liked them, at least since I used to watch Gramps and Jeff and Lassie ride around in their lovely, rounded old heap. When I was a lad the farmers, and a few others, all had pickups, and by law they had their names painted on the side, along with the gross weight of the vehicle. Some hopeful types added “and Son” to their name. “And Son” could often be seen sitting on the passenger side, hoping Dad would stop soon for a NeHi grape soda.

I’ve looked around a bit, and I find I’m leaning toward the Ogre. The thing with the Ogre is that the bed is made to accept a cargo container right off the ship. You’ve probably seen the commercial, the one where this burly guy with a three-day beard drives onto the dock and they drop a container full of, I don’t know, rebar and bricks or something, onto his truck from about 40 feet up. That ol’ Ogre just shimmies a bit and then drives off, towing a boat. Of course, I don’t live on a farm, and I don’t work in construction, and I don’t own a boat, but neither do any of the other people I see actually driving trucks. I just know that that’s the kind of toughness and power a fellow ought to have, even if he shaves more often. And space. You need that kind of space when you make a raid on Costco and come away with a couple three cartons of paper towels – those things are bulky – and maybe some cheese.

On the other hand, maybe an SUV is the way to go. Lots of folks apparently have found that what they really need in a vehicle is something to do with both sports and utility. There’s the Leviathan: it offers the Home Entertainment Theatre option, with the 55-inch high def screen, 16 speakers, and a bandstand. Great for the longer trips to Wal-Mart. Also, with the Leviathan you get a year’s subscription to RoadCrusherBabe monthly, which I always read at the barbershop but they won’t let me take it home. Some of the articles are pretty long.

Either way, I expect to have no trouble on the road. You can’t see the other cars anyhow from up there, so that solves a lot of problems right off the bat. Both vehicles come with a full complement of full-surround outboard klaxons, so parking is a breeze. As for semis out on the highway, the thing to remember is that they’re just big boxes on wheels, with a little old garden tractor up front hauling them along. They don’t stand up to much of a sideswipe.

My friend Hank says I should forget these two – “weenie wagons,” he calls them – and step up to the Behemoth: three bedrooms, bath and a half, full basement, and a pool. Hank says that since he bought his he hasn’t been out of it once. That’s going on three years now. I asked about his job; “free Wi-Fi built in,” he says.

“What about your wife and kids? Do they like it as much?”

“I’m not sure,” he admits. “They got out once in Yuma when I wasn’t looking, and I haven’t had occasion to cruise back by there yet.”